Dealing with
concrete specifications, troubleshooting low-strength problems and ensuring
proper mixture submittals can be expensive and time consuming. This one-day
course will get into the code and specification requirements (ACI 318, 301,
ASTM C94) governing ready mixed concrete, including the new ACI Building
Code 318-08 exposure categories. It will suggest specification revisions for
all around benefits in performance and cost based on a specification
guideline document. The guideline document is the result of reviewing
numerous concrete specifications (Section 03300) belonging to large owners,
and it has been reviewed and supported by the NRMCA
Research, Engineering & Standards (RES) Committee.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Producers and
contractors who attend this seminar will benefit in their discussions
with design professionals. Equipped with in-depth knowledge about improving
concrete specifications, they will better be able to address performance
issues, avoid conflict, and save money. Producers, contractors,
engineers and testing labs will learn much from the discussions
on investigating low-strength problems, helping them to avoid issues that
impact partnering, project cost and schedule. For concrete producers,
understanding how to do a proper mixture submittal is an essential skill,
and it will be thoroughly covered during this seminar.
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN
Troubleshooting low
strength problems is perhaps the primary reason for back charges for a
concrete company. This could be almost entirely avoided by knowledgeable
concrete technical personnel. The course will cover the analysis of strength
test results to identify the causes of low-strength problems, including
technician competence, and will provide guidance in tracking compliance with
specification requirements. Other topics to be discussed include
non-destructive testing techniques (such as the Rebound Hammer), core
testing, evaluating core test results for acceptance, and the assignment of
responsibility.
Another part of this course provides the necessary details required for an
efficient concrete mixture submittal following the ACI 318 flowchart for
Selection of Concrete Mixtures. Analysis of a typical mixture submittal will
be conducted as a group exercise.
PRESENTATION HAND-OUTS
Print-out of the presentations
NRMCA Publication: Guide to Improving Concrete Specifications
NRMCA/ASCC
Pre-Construction Checklist
Flowchart:
ACI 318 Mixture Submittal Process
CD-ROM
of P2P (Prescriptive-to-Performance specification) documents
CD-ROM
of computer program for analyzing concrete test results
NRMCA Publications:
No. 133:
In-Place Concrete Strength Evaluation: A Recommended Practice
No. 179:
Review of Variables that Influence Measured Compressive Strength
No. 185:
Understanding Concrete Core Testing
Related Concrete
In Practice topics – CIP numbers 9, 10, 34, 35,
and 41
Selected publications
by Mr. Luke Snell
►
Worth Over $350
Total!
FORMAT & AGENDA
The course
will be taught in a one-day format.
7:30 am: Registration
8:00 am: Code and Specifications governing ready mixed concrete (ACI
318, 301, ASTM C94). (K. Obla)
9:15 am: Specification Revisions for all around benefits. (K. Obla)
10:15 am: Break
10:30 am: Mixture Design Submittals—What
does the Engineer want? Group Analysis of Typical Mixture Design Submittal.
(L. Snell)
12:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm: Concrete Test Reports—What do they
tell me? (L. Snell)
1:45 pm: What causes low strength tests and how does it affect my
business? (L. Snell)
2:30 pm: Break
2:45 pm: Who is responsible for the low break (testing, construction,
manufacturing). (L. Snell)
3:30 pm: Using the computer program to analyze concrete strength
results. (L. Snell)
3:45 pm: Investigating concrete—When to use
NDT, coring, load test, petrography? (L. Snell)
SEMINAR INSTRUCTORS
Luke M. Snell, P.E., FACI, FASCE
-
Luke M. Snell is a senior materials engineer at Western Technologies,
Phoenix and is an emeritus professor from Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville. He has done extensive consulting work on construction and
concrete problems throughout the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Mongolia and
Algeria. He has also written over 200 articles on concrete, construction
materials, and construction education. Snell is the chair of the ACI
International Committee. He has been instrumental in stating ACI
chapters in Mongolia, Algeria and Ethiopia and has worked with India and
Saudi Arabia to start concrete certification programs. He is or has been
a member of several ACI committees. He is a past chair of ACI Committees
517, Accelerated Curing of Concrete; E702, Designing Concrete
Structures; the ACI Chapter Activities Committee; ACI 120, History of
Concrete and the Educational Activities Committee. He is also a past
member of the Board of Direction. Snell is an ACI Fellow and received
the ACI Joe W. Kelly Award in 1995, the ACI Chapter Activities Award in
1997 and was the ACI Educational Committee Member of the Year in 2002.
He has received various other awards and was named one of the Ten Most
Influential People of the Year in the Concrete Industry by
Concrete Construction
and
Concrete Producer
magazines in 2007,
Construction Laureate of Mongolia (2007), and the Henry L Kennedy Award
from ACI (2008). His research interests include construction materials
and concrete construction. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in
Missouri, Illinois and Arizona.
Karthik Obla
Ph.D., P.E. is the vice
president, technical services at the National Ready Mixed Concrete
Association (NRMCA). With over 20 years of experience in concrete
technology, research, materials and products he is responsible for the
research program and laboratory at NRMCA. A Fellow of ACI and a winner
of ACI’s Young Professional Achievement Award, Dr. Obla is an active
member of various ACI, ASTM, and TRB technical committees and serves as
chair for ASTM C09.49 – Pervious Concrete and ACI 232 – Fly ash. He has
published over 50 technical articles in journals and has presented in
several international conferences. He holds a Ph.D. in civil engineering
from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and is a licensed professional
engineer in the state of Maryland. He served as vice president and
president for the ACI San Antonio Chapter.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
HOURS
Architects and engineers will earn 8 Professional Development Hours upon
completion of this program.
A certificate of completion will be provided to
all attendees. This program also fulfills some of the requirements for
NRMCA’s STEPS™
Certified Concrete Professional program.
REGISTRATION FEE:
$295.00
(Members & Non-Members)
TRAVEL & REGISTRATION
For more information, contact Jessica Walgenbach, NRMCA Meetings
Director.
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